EAST CENTRAL —When it comes to the most visited and district stories on our website, crime and emergencies dominated.
Eight out of the top nine most visited stories from 2019 were related to crime or an emergency. The remaining story was a profile on Humboldt Broncos head coach Scott Barney.
1. RCMP need help to identify men at Bruno-area farmyard
In the early morning hours of March 21, two men that appear to be middle-aged entered a farmyard off Highway 5 just west of the Bruno turnoff. They were photographed.
Once on the property, they forced entry into two storage containers, and stole a 12 volt car battery. The pair also attempted to access the fuel tanks on the property.
The unique van they were driving is described as an older model blue and white Chevrolet Panel van, with no side windows.
2. Star City grain dryer catches fire
Several hundred bushels of feed barley were lost at a grain dryer fire in the RM of Star City.
Melfort Fire and Rescue responded to a reported fire in a grain dryer at 1:00 a.m. on Oct. 1.
Upon arrival and investigation, a well involved fire was located within a dryer unit.
Firefighters knocked the fire down through hose streams from outside the dryer. After several hours the fire was deemed to have been extinguished.
No injuries were reported, but all the barley in the grain dryer was lost. The dryer did not sustain damage beyond scorching.
3. 63-year-old Naicam man missing
Melfort RCMP are asking for help to find a 63-year-old man from Naicam.
Charles Butler-Grace left from his residence in Naicam the morning of Friday, May 10, and was believed to be hitch-hiking towards Saskatoon.
Butler-Grace is about 5’ 11” with green eyes. He was last seen wearing a brown jacket, black hat, carrying a black guitar case in the Humboldt area on Highway 5.
4. LeRoy pedestrians robbed at gunpoint
Humboldt-Lanigan RCMP are asking for the public's help after two men walking on the 100 block of LeRoy's First Avenue were robbed at gunpoint.
The two pedestrians were approached by a black Ford F350 truck during the evening of June 28. One of the men from the truck exited and approached the victims, demanding they give him items they were carrying. A second man in the suspect truck brandished a firearm during this offence.
The man that exited the truck and approached the victims on foot is described as Caucasian, in his mid thirties, approximately 5’10” tall, having a medium to stocky build, and having dirty blond hair, shorter than collar length.
5. City employee dies in construction work site
The City of Humboldt said a city employee has died in a construction work incident in the southwest area of Humboldt.
On Sept. 18, Ian Irwin died in a workplace accident on Third Avenue in the South Industrial area. Because the incident is under investigation, the city could release few details.
6. RCMP attempted arrest of Saskatoon psychiatric centre escapee
Police tried to stop an inmate who escaped from the federal Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon on the highway near Humboldt on Nov. 14.
Two men, Matthew Michel, 24, and Kendal Campeau, 29, fled the centre during the night of Nov. 13.
Michel travelled in a stolen vehicle from the Warman area to the Humboldt area. Police attempted to stop the vehicle near Humboldt, but the vehicle fled on Highway 5 toward Saskatoon. The vehicle ran out of gas near Sunset Estates just outside Saskatoon.
RCMP said Michel was threatening self-harm if approached and gave himself up to officers after a short verbal negotiation. Michel was arrested on the afternoon of Nov. 14 and taken into custody.
7. RCMP need help identifying man connected to Naicam break-ins
Melfort RCMP are asking for help to identify a man connected with a series of break-ins in Naicam.
The break-ins took place on March 28 between 12 am and 3 am. Four locations were affected, one of which was able to provide video surveillance.
Melfort RCMP are looking to identify a male, approximately 6’2’’, weighing around 260 pounds. He is wearing a red Roots sweater, light blue jeans, black shoes, a white balaclava and white and black gloves.
8. Impaired driver caught on Tisdale’s Main Street at 9 a.m.
The Tisdale RCMP stopped an impaired driver on Tisdale’s Main Street who tested three times the legal alcohol limit.
The driver was stopped at around 9 a.m. on Oct. 8, after the RCMP received a tip from the public.
9. From professional player to coach
For 16 seasons, Scott Barney has played professional hockey in a career that’s taken him all over the globe.
He’s played for teams in Germany, Finland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, Korea, Italy and China.
Yet for the interim head coach of the Humboldt Broncos, his love for hockey had humble beginnings.
“I started when I was three years old skating with my dad,” the 39-year-old former right-winger from Peterborough, Ont. said. “I guess it starts when you’re young and out on the ponds.”
Barney was hired as an assistant coach for the Broncos for the 2018-19 season. He took the top job early in 2019.
